You can sometimes forgive a situation that destroys an archeological site when there was no indication it existed in the first place. However, allowing the destruction of an important site after knowing about it for more than 20 years is inexcusable.

In 1967, Albany historian John Wolcott alerted the public about a large surviving section of the original roadbed of the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad, America's (and New York's) first passenger railroad. The Mohawk & Hudson, chartered in 1826, ran between Albany and Schenectady through the Pine Bush. Reports of the first maiden run on August 9, 1831, with Erastus Corning and other notable figures on board was reported locally in the press.

It was an engineering feat since there were no railroads in the country at the time as a model. The remaining artifacts which consist of the roadbed and limestone blocks in which the rails sat are an important historic and archeological resource for study and preservation.

When I was city archeologist in the 1970's, I encouraged Mayor Corning to preserve the site after Wolcott showed me first hand the 1000 foot section of elevated roadbed that exists between Washington Avenue and I-90, directly across from the University at Albany. Also running along the roadbed were parts of the brick conduit of Six mile Reservoir. This 1850 water supply tapped from the Pine Bush flowed through the conduit into Bleeker Reservoir and Tivoli Lakes further east. These two engineering marvels are an important part of Albany's (and the country's) history.

In the fall of 1984, an environmental group asked the city to preserve the rail bed. The Mayor asked me for my thoughts on the subject and I gave him the history and importance of the site. I had also recently completed some work with DOT on the realingement of an exit on I-90, which ran through a section of the later 1844 rerouted Mohawk & Hudson bed (near the Fuller Brush Factory). We found an early section of rail (that was suppose to be donated to the State Museum, but I doubt it ever was).

I agreed with the environmental group and encouraged the mayor to preserve the 1000 foot railroad bed and turn it into a park since the city owned half of it.

The city sold it to Donald Lynch in 1991, instead of preserving it. Lynch, the former Albany County clerk, paid $330,000 for the land and immediately transferred it to developer Peter Gullo. In 1994, Gullo requested a rezoning of the site for a strip mall.

Preservationists again called for saving the site in total. Supporting letters were submitted from experts, including the Smithsonian and the State Museum which had done archeological work at the site, but the Common Council approved it anyway. A strip development went in shortly after and although it did not destroy the 1000 foot section of railroad bed, it certainly destroyed the visual context of the site.

Developers are now putting the final touches on the destruction of the road bed. Today, there is a brand new wide road cut through the railroad embankment splitting it into two pieces. Another set of buildings and parking lots are being erected to the north of it. Just another day of raping the history of the city.

Last year I showed the site to visiting professor Roland Paxton from the Institution of Civil Engineers. ICE is a UK-based international organization with over 75,000 members worldwide. He was impressed not only with the railroad site but also the entire Six Mile Waterworks complex including Bleecker Reservoir which is the biggest artificial earthwork in the city of Albany.

Of course most people outside Albany politics are impressed with the unique history of the city. However, more Albanians need to take an interest in the issue. If not, the city will continue to get stripped of all its historic and archeological assets until all that remains is some cheesy plywood Disney like recreation of Fort Orange on the banks of the Hudson.